Edge stress reduction by noncoincident layers
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An integrated circuit structure, comprising:
- a. a substrate having a top surface;
b. a bottom conductor that is elongate with a substantially rectangular cross-section that presents a longitudinal center axis, two opposed sidewalls spaced apart a certain distance, a bottom wall and a top wall, the bottom wall being arranged adjacent the top surface of the substrate;
c. a top conductor that is elongate with a substantially rectangular cross-section that presents a longitudinal center axis, two opposed sidewalls, a bottom wall and a top wall, the bottom wall of the top conductor being arranged over the top wall of the bottom conductor, the longitudinal axis of the top conductor being arranged substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bottom conductor, and the sidewalls of the top conductor being spaced apart a distance less than the certain distance between the sidewalls of the bottom conductor;
d. the top wall of the bottom conductor and the sidewalls of the top conductor being free of any sidewall spacers; and
e. the lead width of the top conductor being at least 0.8 times the height of the bottom conductor, and the lead width of the top conductor being within the range of 0.4 to 0.8 times the lead width of the bottom conductor.
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Abstract
The stress at the edges of a thin film conductor can be reduced by noncoincident layered structures, which takes advantage of the characteristic stress polarity changing from tensile to compressive or vice versa in the edge vicinity in order to avoid device reliability and performance problems. By using noncoincident layered structures, destructive stress interference from different layers can be achieved to reduce the stress or stress gradient at the edge. The structures and methods disclosed herein can advantageously be used in many integrated circuit and device manufacturing applications (including gates, wordlines, and bitlines).
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. An integrated circuit structure, comprising:
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a. a substrate having a top surface;
b. a bottom conductor that is elongate with a substantially rectangular cross-section that presents a longitudinal center axis, two opposed sidewalls spaced apart a certain distance, a bottom wall and a top wall, the bottom wall being arranged adjacent the top surface of the substrate;
c. a top conductor that is elongate with a substantially rectangular cross-section that presents a longitudinal center axis, two opposed sidewalls, a bottom wall and a top wall, the bottom wall of the top conductor being arranged over the top wall of the bottom conductor, the longitudinal axis of the top conductor being arranged substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bottom conductor, and the sidewalls of the top conductor being spaced apart a distance less than the certain distance between the sidewalls of the bottom conductor;
d. the top wall of the bottom conductor and the sidewalls of the top conductor being free of any sidewall spacers; and
e. the lead width of the top conductor being at least 0.8 times the height of the bottom conductor, and the lead width of the top conductor being within the range of 0.4 to 0.8 times the lead width of the bottom conductor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification